Nova Scotia Opens Office of Workplace Mental Health
The Office of Workplace Mental Health will offer confidential navigation service to help employees access mental health and wellness support and resources. Counseling and crisis intervention are not directly provided by the office.
The Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU) and the Public Service Commission officially opened the Office of Workplace Mental Health on Wednesday. Services at the office will be available to all civil service employees.
The Office of Workplace Mental Health will offer confidential navigation service to help employees access mental health and wellness support and resources. Counseling and crisis intervention are not directly provided by the office.
The office will also help employers and workplace leaders maintain workplaces that are safe and healthy psychologically.
"Nova Scotia is a leader in workplace mental health and is setting a positive example for other provinces and territories," said Louise Bradley, president and CEO, Mental Health Commission of Canada. "This partnership is laying the foundation for other provinces and territories to improve psychological health and safety in their public service."
Nova Scotia was the first Canadian province to adopt the National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace, a set of voluntary guidelines, resources, and tools to help workplaces encourage mental health and prevent workplace psychological harm.
The standard provides guidance regarding the following:
- Identifying psychological workplace hazards
- Assessing and controlling workplace risks related to hazards that can’t be eliminated
- Implementing practices to support and promote workplace mental safety and health
- Establishing and maintaining a workplace culture that promotes psychological safety and health
- Implementing systems of measurement and review to ensure sustainable practices
More information about the Office of Workplace Mental Health can be found here.